Mark Sanford on Corporations

Republican SC Governor; previously Representative (SC-1)

Cut corporate income tax by raising cigarette tax

We continue to believe that there are other things we could do to improve the economy like raising our lowest-in-the-nation cigarette tax and swapping this with an equal dollar cut to the corporate income tax.
The net effect of the change we have proposed here is that South Carolina's ranking on the state business tax climate index would move from 25th to the 6th most competitive state in the country--and changes like this would produce jobs.

Source: South Carolina 2010 State of the State Address
, Jan 20, 2010

2009: Disdainful of auto companies' bailout proposals

I went on news shows to proclaim that the restructuring plans for GM and Chrysler would at least prevent bankruptcy, the worst possible outcome for the carmakers and our state.

I was pitted against Governor Mark Sanford of South Carolina and Governor Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota on a Fox News program. Sanford was disdainful of the auto companies' proposals. He said the furniture and textiles industries had been "decimated," but
it "didn't take a series of bailouts" to fix their problems. He didn't mention that textiles and furniture manufacturing had all but disappeared from the South. He and Pawlenty dismissed the degree of "restructuring" that was in the auto companies' plans

"You probably haven't read those plans," I asserted, furious at Sanford's demagoguery. His silence was deafening; clearly, he had not. Pawlenty admitted he hadn't read the plans either.

Sugar subsidy is corporate welfare to a wealthy few

On the House floor in 1996, I said: “This vote is a gut check. It asks us who we are and what we do really believe in. As Republicans, we talk about free enterprise, we talk about open markets. Yet, the federal sugar subsidy program has a guaranteed floo
price of 23 cents. When I go to the produce store, I do not see a guaranteed floor price for tomatoes. When I go to the car shop, I do not see a guaranteed price for repairing the car. When I go to the hardware store, I do not see a guaranteed price for
hammers. Yet are we going to make an exception here?

“You are looking at $1.4 billion of benefit. This subsidy flows down to one family in Palm Beach that gets millions every year. This style of profiteering does not pass the common sense test, nor doe
the sugar program.

The vote to end this absurd corporate welfare program came to a disappointing result. Term limits would do much to end such patently offensive and nonsensical programs as the sugar subsidy.”